Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “content locker”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “content locker”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Version Locker: Disable Updates, Rollback and Downgrade shows at wp.org #6 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MailOptin – Popup, Optin Forms & Email Newsletters for Mailchimp, HubSpot, AWeber Etc. places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 438 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #1 2 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) wp.org #3 4 Read More Without Refresh 20K+ · 4.2★ (55) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Subscribe to Unlock Lite – Opt In Content Locker Plugin for WordPress 500+ · 3.9★ (10) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 MailOptin – Popup, Optin Forms & Email Newsletters for Mailchimp, HubSpot, AWeber Etc. 10K+ · 4.8★ (438) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too low 7 Popup Builder by Claspo – Email Popup, Spin the Wheel, Exit Intent 1K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 BWD Elementor Addons 400+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #12 ↑3 4 too low 9 Social Snap — Social Share Buttons & Click to Tweet 10K+ · 4.2★ (58) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 ELEX WooCommerce USPS Shipping Method 800+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11 Social Share Block – Help Visitors Spread Your Content Everywhere 2K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Version Locker: Disable Updates, Rollback and Downgrade 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Content Locker for Email Capture 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Gated Downloads – Lead Capture & Content Locker 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Digital Content Delivery (incl. DRM) by Flickrocket for WooCommerce 60+ · 2.6★ (10) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 Smartpoints Lockers for ACS 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 GLS Shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #15 ↓4 2 too high 18 Content Locker for Elementor 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 Pasts Courier & Locker 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 Friendly Content Unlocker (Lite) — Micro-Paywall, Pay Per Post & Content Locker for PayPal — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 OPSI Israel Domestic Shipments 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 OTP Content Protect 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 ShipAny WooCommerce: Ship, Label, Tracking 200+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 bpost-shipping-platform 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.